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Building Code Reference

Got a CRC R318.7.6 correction?

Stair landing requirements

For builders in California, Greater Seattle, the Las Vegas area, the Denver area and Kansas City · CrossBeam Permits

What this code requires, how to fix it, and how cities and counties review it

What this code requires

CRC R318.7.6 requires a landing at the top and bottom of every stairway in a California residential building. The landing must be at least as wide as the stairway it serves and, on a straight run, at least 36 inches deep in the direction of travel. A door at the top of an interior stair may have the landing on its far side only if the door does not swing over the stairs. Most single-family and ADU stair plans get flagged when the landing dimensions are missing from the drawings or the top landing is omitted entirely.

How to fix it

  1. Locate and draw both stair landings on plan

    Pull the stair plan sheet and confirm it shows a landing at both the top and the bottom of every stair run. Each landing must appear in plan view with dimensions called out. If a landing is implied by the floor framing or slab but not explicitly drawn and dimensioned, draw it. Plan-checkers do not give credit for implied conditions, and an unmarked landing area will come back as a correction even if the framing is physically correct.

  2. Dimension landing depth and width

    On a straight run, dimension the landing depth at 36 inches minimum, measured parallel to the direction of travel, meaning in the direction you are walking up or down the stair. The landing must also be at least as wide as the stair measured perpendicular to travel. If your stair is 36 inches wide, the minimum landing is 36 by 36 inches. If the stair is 42 inches wide, the landing must be at least 42 inches wide and 36 inches deep. Add both dimensions explicitly to the plan. Do not rely on scale alone.

  3. Check door swing clearance over the landing

    Check every door that opens onto a stairway. If the top landing of an interior stair is on the other side of a door, the door must not swing over the stairs. At an exterior door, the top landing can be omitted only for a stair of not more than two risers, and only if the door does not swing over the stairway. Show the door swing arc on the plan and add a note: "Door does not swing over stairs per CRC R318.7.6."

  4. Verify top landing elevation matches door threshold

    On exterior stairs, confirm the top landing sits close to the door threshold: no more than 1-1/2 inches below it at the required egress door, or up to 7-3/4 inches below where the door does not swing over the landing (CRC R318.3.1). A common plan error is omitting the landing, which puts the door opening directly over the nosing of the top step. That configuration fails R318.7.6 because there is no landing before the stair drops away. The landing must be in place, sloped no more than 2 percent, before the first riser.

  5. Note door swing into stairwell from above

    For doors at the top of a stairwell, make sure the door swings over the landing and not over the stairs. Where the landing is on the far side of the door, R318.7.6 permits that only when the door does not swing over the stairs. Add a plan note describing the door swing and the clear dimension that remains. This saves the plan-checker from having to ask.

  6. Add a landing callout citing R318.7.6

    Add a stair landing callout on the plan sheet citing R318.7.6. The callout does not need to be a full detail drawing. A label that reads "Top landing: 36 in. x 36 in. min. per CRC R318.7.6" and a matching label at the bottom landing is enough for most plan-checkers to mark it approved. Place the label on the floor plan or stair detail sheet, not just in the general notes.

  7. Dimension any intermediate mid-run landings

    If the stair has an intermediate landing at a mid-run point, dimension it the same way as the top and bottom landings. Intermediate landings appear in split-level plans and multi-story townhomes. Each intermediate landing must be at least as wide as the stair and, on a straight run, at least 36 inches deep. They follow the same rules as the end landings.

  8. Audit landing count before resubmitting

    Do a landing audit before you resubmit: count the stair runs, then count the landings. A single-run stair needs two landings. A two-run stair with an intermediate landing needs three. If your count does not match, find the missing landing and add it. A one-page stair detail sheet summarizing all landing locations and dimensions will give the plan-checker a fast review path on the resubmit.

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Why you got flagged

Plan-checkers flag R318.7.6 most often when the landing at the top of the stair is missing from the plans entirely. This happens frequently on exterior stair designs where the upper door threshold sits flush at the stair nosing. The code requires a landing at least 36 inches deep at the top of the flight (CRC R318.3 also requires one on each side of an exterior door), and a lot of plan sets skip showing it.

A second common trigger is when the plans show a landing but leave the depth dimension off the drawing. A plan-checker cannot approve what they cannot verify. Even if the framing intent is correct, an undimensioned landing reads as a potential violation and comes back as a correction. Get the landing depth and width called out explicitly on the floor plan or stair detail sheet.

Doors that swing out over a stairway cause another common flag. The top landing may sit on the far side of a door only if the door does not swing over the stairs, and an exterior door may skip the top landing only at a stair of two or fewer risers that the door does not swing over. Plans that show a door swinging over the stair get red-lined almost every time.

Finally, multi-flight stairs with intermediate landings sometimes show the mid-run landing but omit the bottom landing in the foundation or slab plan. The code is explicit: landings at both ends, every stair run. If the bottom slab or grade landing is not shown and dimensioned on the relevant plan sheet, expect a correction.

The official code

2025 California Residential Code R318.7.6 — Stairway Landings

Read the source →

Common questions

Does CRC R318.7.6 apply to exterior stairs on a deck or patio?
Yes. R318.7.6 applies to all stairways regulated by the CRC, which includes exterior stairs on decks, patios, and porches attached to a residential building. A landing is required at the top and bottom of every flight, interior or exterior, 36 inches deep on a straight run, subject to the exceptions in R318.7.6 (for example, no top landing at an exterior door with two or fewer risers when the door does not swing over the stair). Exterior deck stairs are a frequent source of corrections because the top landing area often doubles as part of the deck surface and is not separately dimensioned on the deck framing plan. Draw the landing boundary and call out the dimensions even if the deck itself is much larger.
What is the minimum landing size under CRC R318.7.6?
The minimum landing size under R318.7.6 is at least as wide as the stairway and at least 36 inches deep measured in the direction of travel. For a standard 36-inch residential stair, the minimum landing is 36 by 36 inches. For a 42-inch-wide stair, the minimum landing is 42 inches wide by 36 inches deep. These are floors, not targets. You can always build a bigger landing, which also gives a door at the top of the stair room to swing over the landing instead of the stairs.
Does my door landing count as the stair landing under R318.7.6?
A door landing and a stair landing can be the same landing if the same area satisfies both sets of requirements at once. CRC R318.3 covers door landings and requires a landing at least as wide as the door and at least 36 inches in the direction of travel. CRC R318.7.6 requires the stair landing to be at least 36 inches deep and at least as wide as the stair. If the single landing area meets both width and depth requirements for both sections, you do not need two separate landing areas. Show the dimensions clearly on the plan so the plan-checker can verify both requirements are met from a single detail.
What if my stair connects directly to a garage slab — do I still need a landing?
Yes, the garage slab at the base of a stair counts as the bottom landing, but you still need to confirm and show that the clear area is at least 36 inches deep and at least as wide as the stair before any obstruction. In a garage that also parks cars, the required landing area may conflict with the parking space. Show the landing boundary on the floor plan, dimension it, and make sure no fixed obstruction blocks it. Plan-checkers do flag garage stairs where the 36-inch zone is assumed but not drawn.
My plan got flagged for a missing top stair landing — what is the fastest fix?
Add the missing top landing to your stair plan sheet with explicit dimensions: minimum 36 inches deep by at least as wide as the stair. If the landing physically exists in the framing but was just left off the drawing, redline it onto the plan set with a dimension string and a note. Also verify that any door at the top of the stair does not swing over the stairs, and show that confirmation on the plan. A citation note reading "Top landing per CRC R318.7.6" helps the plan-checker locate and approve it without extra back-and-forth.
Does R318.7.6 apply to ADUs?
Yes. The CRC applies to ADUs built as standalone structures or as conversions of existing space, and R318.7.6 applies to any regulated stairway in those buildings. ADU plans with interior stairs between levels, or with exterior stairs to a raised entry, must show compliant landings at each end of the stair run. Garage-to-ADU conversions are a common correction source because the existing garage slab is often at a different elevation than the ADU floor, creating a short stair run with a tight landing condition that gets overlooked during design.

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